How much do you reckon widening one metre of the M6 will cost taxpayers? One-thousand
M6 is one of Britain's most congested motorways
pounds? Five-thousand pounds? Nope, try thirty-five thousand pounds – that’s almost a grand an inch.
A 51-mile road widening scheme that is taking place along the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester is expected to take three years to complete and cost £2.9billion, according to the Highways Agency.
This astronomical figure would make it Britain’s most expensive piece of asphalt. Engineers involved are attributing the soaring costs on inflation, working around traffic by incorporating night shifts and widening dozens of bridges and culverts.
Anyone that has the pleasure of commuting along this section of the M6 will know that this road-widening scheme is absolutely necessary. The Highways Agency reckons traffic has increased along here by 12 per cent in ten years.
In order to cut costs on future road-widening projects, the government is now proposing to convert motorway hard shoulders into additional traffic lanes. An 11-mile stretch along the M42 near Birmingham is already being trial-tested. Sounds like a dangerous cost-cutting initiative to us.